Doheny festival is a blast from the past

Delaney Gilbert, 5, of La Mirada hangs 10 without a board at the Mercy Home Ministry booth, where a blowup wave more than 16 feet high was featured. Gilbert's dad is an avid surfer, and her parents hope their athletic daughter, who plays softball, soccer and golf, will also embrace surfing. The Doheny Surf Festival was held during the weekend at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cindy Stokes stood carefully on the shoulders of her husband, Brian, arms straight out to her side, balancing in a cheerleader-like stance as a small wave at Doheny State Beach propelled them toward the shore.

“I trust him,” said Cindy Stokes, the top half of the tandem surfing duo that traveled from Virginia Beach for the Hobie Alter Tandem surfing contest. “We’ve fallen but, you know, it’s water. It’s very graceful, the moves. When you’re doing all that, it’s a workout. It’s acrobatic.”

The tandem surfers gave a glimpse into a sport of the past – much more popular in the ’60s and ’70s – at the Doheny Surf Festival that hit Dana Point during the weekend, an event filled with surfing nostalgia and entertainment that gave surf lovers a good excuse to enjoy a day at the beach.

The free event is in its third year. About 100 surf- and beach-related vendors were scattered around the grassy lawn at Doheny State Beach.

Event producer Peter “PT” Townend said it was a great turnout for the growing event.

“We’ve had an incredible crew of people floating through the whole park,” he said. “It brings all the elements of surf culture. It’s not just about the competition. It’s about the culture.”

With all of its surf history, Doheny seems the perfect location for such an event. Doheny was once the go-to spot to surf, with a big break called Killer Dana (wiped out when the harbor was built); plus, it’s just a few miles from the iconic San Onofre State Beach. Major surf brands like Hobie sprouted out of the area.

“This is the ultimate place,” he said.

Among the big draws were classic boards brought in by the Longboard Collector Club, rare boards – some worth a ton of money – propped up for surf history buffs to enjoy.

“Local collectors were inspired to bring their good stuff out,” said Steve Collins, president of the club. “To see the crowds milling through here and the families ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ ... We’ve had a great turnout, a lot of appreciation.”

It’s fun to watch the kids gravitate to the newer boards and their parents take interest in the older classics, Collins said.

“We’ve had people taking photos all day long,” Collins said, just as a father and son posed for a selfie with old boards in the background.

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Delaney Gilbert, 5, of La Mirada hangs 10 without a board at the Mercy Home Ministry booth, where a blowup wave more than 16 feet high was featured. Gilbert's dad is an avid surfer, and her parents hope their athletic daughter, who plays softball, soccer and golf, will also embrace surfing. The Doheny Surf Festival was held during the weekend at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Aaron Lundquist of Huntington Beach surfs with his daughter Eden, 8, who has been tandem-surfing with her parents since she was in diapers. They were only one of two father-daughter teams of the 14 entries at the tandem exhibition during The Doheny Surf Festival at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Delaney Gilbert, 5, of La Mirada, top, and brother Finnegan, 8, laugh after falling on a surfboard at the Mercy Home Ministry booth. Donations of $2 were recommended to ride the blowup wave, measuring more than 16 feet high at the Doheny Surf Festival at Doheny State Beach. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Myra Burg of Los Angeles, exhibits grace and humor after falling off the shoulders of her tandem partner during an exhibition at The Doheny Surf Festival in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Restored and unrestored Woodies are on display at The Doheny Surf Festival. Some were even for sale at the event at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Denise Repenhagen of Encinitas, left, strikes a yoga pose for Ahlia Hoffman of Cardiff, who combined her love of yoga and surfing during a surfing set at The Doheny Surf Festival at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Myra Burg of Los Angeles falls off the shoulders of Charles Christian of Malibu during a tandem exhibition. The Doheny Surf Festival took place at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Denise Repenhagen of Encinitas, left, gives Ahlia Hoffman of Cardiff congratulations after Hoffman completed a good surfing set during the Doheny Surf Festival at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. Hoffman is also a yoga instructor. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Ahlia Hoffman of Cardiff and Travis Long of Encinitas assume this position for more than five seconds and wows the crowd at The Doheny Surf Festival in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A reclining young man looks toward the water where surfers practice during The Doheny Surf Festival. A Quadruple bungee device looms in the background at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Delaney Gilbert, 5, of La Mirada has great balance despite bouncing on an air wave at The Doheny Surf Festival held during the weekend at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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